Vigil held in Middletown for victims in plane crash

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (WTNH) — A vigil was held in Middletown on Tuesday for the victims in Sunday’s deadly plane crash in Vermont.

Among those killed were a teacher and student from Middletown High School.

“It was a great service,” Neriyah Norfleet, a friend of Delilah Van Ness, said. “We really got to just share stories about Delilah. What a great person her and her mother were. It was really beautiful.”

Delilah, along with her Aviation and Technology teacher at Middletown High School Paul Pelletier, her mother Susan Van Ness and pilot Frank Rodriquez had flown on Sunday to Basin Harbor Airport in Vermont for brunch. They never made it back home.

The wreckage of their plane was found just a half a mile from that runway.

“I didn’t believe the news when I first heard it,” Norfleet said.

An unimaginable loss and a bright light extinguished way too soon.

“She was such an amazing bright girl,” Norfleet said. “She could have gone to NASA if she wanted to. She was so bright.”

“Delilah’s happiness she would always bring brightness into the studio every time we had to shoot with her,” Luis Revilla, who owns Revilla Films in East Hartford, said.

Revilla was working with Delilah and Pelletier on a series of FAA videos on drone safety. Their latest video was supposed to be presented on Friday.

“It was an episode focusing on her and about the connection she had with Mr. Pelletier,” Revilla said. “Sue, Deliah’s mom, she was also in the videos. Very emotional.”

“I don’t really know what’s gonna happen next,” Angel Benitez, a classmate of Delilah’s, said. “However I will fight and will continue pursuing with the drone program.”

He, like so many, are hoping the program Pelletier championed will continue, but his loss will be greatly felt.

“He was very passionate of what he did and like he really believed in every one of us and allowed all of us to pursue this aerospace dream,” Benitez said.

“He wanted everyone to succeed,” said Revilla. “He never thought about himself.”

The school says they are now taking things one day at a time but are hoping to share details of the aviation program once everything is worked out.

There is no word if or when that last video Pelletier and his students produced will be presented.

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